Rants and Whimsy is a (mostly) satirical look at life, recounted and retold by the Etherial Wanderer and based solely on her personal observations.
Monday, February 27, 2006
According To The Welfare Board
I'm really getting tired of this crap on the Wefare board. I'm not a bleeding heart liberal but still I grow angry with some of shit I repeatedly read. They give trigger answers to complex problems, spread stereotype and urban myths.
Here is what I've learned since lurking and occasionally posting.
On welfare? Ask friends and family for money/food instead of gifts, regardless if they are for your children, because children don’t need toys, and your children don’t deserve them anyway because you’re on welfare, except for old housewares you have laying around. Also, if you're invited to dinner and a friend offers you an alcoholic beverage you must refuse because you're on welfare.
On HUD? Don't use your heater, electricity even if you live in Alaska, you don’t deserve heat, and you can forget about internet access. That would upset some of the people on the board should you tell them about it.
On food stamps? You may only buy foods that are healthy, contain no sugar, or sugar substitute, also forget about buying anything like cakes even if it's for a birthday because you don't deserve to celebrate, you're on food stamps remember? Again, it pisses off the taxpayers, who have decided they want to know exactly how you're spending each dollar you collect. Better read up on the Hillbilly housewife website at the library so don't need to be wasteful and can learn to make your own sanitary napkins.
If you are on all of the above you must first sell all your personal possessions, including those 501 Jeans you’ve had in your closet since High School. You must sell your house, deplete your savings account, and sell off all your furniture, your children’s toys, computer, car, pets, stereo equipment, and TV’s.
If your spouse becomes catastrophically ill, you can simply divorce them and get more medical aid for them.
Don't celebrate any holiday or birthday, because you have no right to, and for god's sake, don't drink any alcohol even if it's offered for free because you're just not worthy.
Oh if you're on any kind of assistance...you can't own a car because, well you don't need it. If you live in an area where there is no public transportation, you must move to a city regardless of where, I guess the more crime-ridden the better. This could also be used as an example of how people throw comments like that out there, without saying anything else to back themselves up, with the sole purpose of inflaming the board. Unfortunately, the board takes the bait.
Absolutely no manicures or hair cuts of any kind but you can ask your hardwood store for a spare piece of sandpaper. Pinking shears can be used to give you a nice “Moe Howard” haircut. Remember you have no right to look better than a taxpayer. Better work on that "hobo" look, it will go well with the "Moe."
You have no right to a pet; even goldfish food is too expensive when you’re on welfare. The rats or cockroaches in your house don’t count though, unless you name them.
You may not ever buy clothing new, except underwear, which, hopefully as long as your ass isn’t too wide, can be purchased at the dollar store. You must only shop at thrift stores, remember material to make clothing is expensive too, and some might mistaken it for designer. If you're on welfare or food stamps and your ass is too wide, it's because you're eating on the taxpayer's dime. Hey! That rhymes.
Never ever buy any name brand clothing for your child/baby, like “Baby Dior, or Nike” because people will think you’ve paid full price for them and likely you’ll be rounded up, buried in the ground to your neck and stones thrown at you. Just like in the Middle East for letting a man look at your hooo hooo.
If for some reason you do end up on welfare it’s simply because you didn’t plan well enough, and didn’t forsee every possible scenerio.
The welfare queen does exist.
All people on welfare eat better, and have more extras than those working for a living.
Everyone on welfare is lazy and refuses to get a legitimate job.
Everyone on welfare uses the system to get more welfare or cheats the system.
Trips to the dentist aren't needed.
Finally, if you are on welfare, and visit this board, please refrain from discussing your personal story because while some posters believe in placing their personal, holier than thou opinion up for debate, your life sadly isn’t good enough. Also remember that because they have done for example worked nonstop to avoid debt, there is NO reason that you can't also. Please don't waste your breath trying to argue that your situation is different, because if they did it, so should you. PERIOD. This also follows into the idea that you shouldn't have kids unless you can afford them, even if you go broke after the kids come along it doesn't matter because you didn't plan well enough.
20 comments:
AMEN!
I am highly offended.
HaHa Thats why i don't do mesage bords.
Wow, not only do you have WAY too much time on your hands judging by your links but you're not even bright enough to stop reading a board that makes you so angry in the first place, lol!
The board takes the bait everytime because it's chock full of morons.
the morons are the taxpayers for thinking they are so smart.
I've only been lurking there for around a month. Some of them have been talking in circles about the same shit for years now.
If she quit reading the board, she wouldn't have anything to entertain us with, or herself!
In my not so perfect world crap happens, life kicks you in the ass and sometimes welfare is the only option. No two bit snotty nosed Martha Stewart wanna be is not going to tell me my kid can't have a cookie to wash down her WIC juice or I can't have a glass of wine while eating dinner at a friends house instead of squeezing every last penny out of my food stamps on the 29th day of the month.
People really need a reality check. Life happens and even with the best planning in the world you can't control circumstances.
Easy to judge people while sitting up on that very high horse. Just be careful because it's a long painful fall landing on your big cushy ass!
If the board takes the bait because it's chock full of morons. You must be their leader.
I'm so confused as to why this is such a huge debate. Wait, it's more than that, it's downright nasty! First off, some people are comparing Canada to the United States. Thats like Apples and Bananas (Hey, I like that better than apples and oranges). Canada has more 'free' things than the US does, so it takes more dire circumstances for somebody to actually get additional help from the gov't there than it does here in the States. YES, *some* people use Welfare as a way of life, and that is NOT what it is meant to be at all, and I have issues with that. But I also don't think that if you are on welfare, you should pass on a glass of wine at a friends house for dinner and ask for a loaf of bread instead. NOR should you have to pass on dinner over there at all. To become self sufficient, it is imperitive that you have friends and a support group. If asked "Can I do anything for you?" Then feel free to state, "yes, I need X bill paid, or I could use some grocery items, etc." but anything above and beyond that would just seem like begging for attention to me.
I love it! My brother's ex is a definate welfare queen. You described what she gets to a t! If you only knew some of the "perks" she's gotten only to not follow through. It really pisses me off!
I love that when you agree with them, they argue about that too. And what's up with all the anonymous? Are they ashamed at what they have to say?
I think they're a bunch of chickenshits that like to hide behind the Anonymous option.
I know I should remove the choice but that would stifle them and I wouldn't want to be accused of inhibiting free speech.
As to the first part I don't konw how much clearer I could have been. Whatever.
The links you posted don't support your rantings. You have way too much time on your hands. Poor little pissboy. I hope you don't call him that to his face.
3/01/2006 04:28:05 PM:
I'd call you by name but you had no courage to leave one.
In any event, my rantings are just that, my own. Regardless of whether you feel the links supported them or not; it certainly got you riled enough to comment.
Very well said . . . you pretty much covered it all. You got it right when you said that they talk in circles on that board. I never thought that people could be so cold, but am finding out otherwise. Those people are like the lady behind me in the checkout line today . . . she was ticked off because I had about 20 coupons. Damned if I do and belittled if I don't.
Looks like whoever anonymous is probably the same person who got 3 of their posts deleted today on the board.
Oh, they're talking about you on another board...http://groups.yahoo.com/group/welfaredebate/
I go there because of the petty little people who get sadistic pleasure over kicking people when they are down. Talk about elementary level cognition skills.
I think you've summed up the board pretty well. All of these threads you've linked to show arguements for making welfare as comfortable as possible. I used to agree with that notion.
Sadly though, I've personally known too many people who have been trapped by welfare IRL. They never intended to be on welfare in the first place. When they get promoted or get a better job they lose benefits. I don't believe the system is intended to trap people but honestly I think people face tough decisions daily. Work the overtime, make $50 more this week and lose $100 this month in food stamps? Take on a second job which will overqualify the family for state-paid health insurance for the kids? I can't say I'd strive to get off welfare if I had to face these decisions either.
Maybe you just disagree that people don't get stuck on welfare, or that a number of people remain on and off welfare for years? I am well aware that plenty of people use the system temporarily. It's those who are stuck without options who I think are being debated. Not someone who lost a job and needed food stamps for a few months to get on their feet. Not the disabled. Not those who work full time jobs who need to use medicaid for their sick kid.
The system is wide open for abuse and misuse. People are stuck without choices and options. They stay on welfare out of necessity.
If you have ideas on how to fix the system to get people off of welfare efficiently, I am all ears.
- Jennamum
I didn't register my name here because I am not interested in an account.
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